Monday 7 November 2016

Trump and the uncanny resemblance to horror.......


Is this what it's like watching a fascist regime rise to power? — GQ Magazine (@GQMagazine).

These are strong words, but they are still true: Trump's campaign tactics model the political Hitler of 1932-33 — Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) 



The undersigned individuals have all served in senior national security and/or foreign policy positions in Republican Administrations, from Richard Nixon to George W. Bush. We have worked directly on national security issues with these Republican Presidents and/or their principal advisers during wartime and other periods of crisis, through successes and failures. We know the personal qualities required of a President of the United States.

None of us will vote for Donald Trump.

From a foreign policy perspective, Donald Trump is not qualified to be President and Commander-in-Chief. Indeed, we are convinced that he would be a dangerous President and would put at risk our country’s national security and well-being.

Most fundamentally, Mr. Trump lacks the character, values, and experience to be President. He weakens U.S. moral authority as the leader of the free world. He appears to lack basic knowledge about and belief in the U.S. Constitution, U.S. laws, and U.S. institutions, including religious tolerance, freedom of the press, and an independent judiciary.

In addition, Mr. Trump has demonstrated repeatedly that he has little understanding of America’s vital national interests, its complex diplomatic challenges, its indispensable alliances, and the democratic values on which U.S. foreign policy must be based. At the same time, he persistently compliments our adversaries and threatens our allies and friends. Unlike previous Presidents who had limited experience in foreign affairs, Mr. Trump has shown no interest in educating himself. He continues to display an alarming ignorance of basic facts of contemporary international politics. Despite his lack of knowledge, Mr. Trump claims that he understands foreign affairs and “knows more about ISIS than the generals do.”

Mr. Trump lacks the temperament to be President. In our experience, a President must be willing to listen to his advisers and department heads; must encourage consideration of conflicting views; and must acknowledge errors and learn from them. A President must be disciplined, control emotions, and act only after reflection and careful deliberation. A President must maintain cordial relationships with leaders of countries of different backgrounds and must have their respect and trust.

In our judgment, Mr. Trump has none of these critical qualities. He is unable or unwilling to separate truth from falsehood. He does not encourage conflicting views. He lacks self-control and acts impetuously. He cannot tolerate personal criticism. He has alarmed our closest allies with his erratic behavior. All of these are dangerous qualities in an individual who aspires to be President and Commander in-Chief, with command of the U.S. nuclear arsenal.

We understand that many Americans are profoundly frustrated with the federal government and its inability to solve pressing domestic and international problems. We also know that many have doubts about Hillary Clinton, as do many of us. But Donald Trump is not the answer to America’s daunting challenges and to this crucial election. We are convinced that in the Oval Office, he would be the most reckless President in American history.

Donald B. Ayer Former Deputy Attorney General
John B. Bellinger III Former Legal Adviser to the Department of State; former Legal Adviser to the National Security Council, The White House
Robert Blackwill Former Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Planning, The White House
Michael Chertoff Former Secretary of Homeland Security; former Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division, Department of Justice
Eliot A. Cohen Former Counselor of the Department of State
Eric Edelman Former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy; former National Security Advisor to the Vice President, The White House
Gary Edson Former Deputy National Security Advisor, The White House
Richard Falkenrath Former Deputy Homeland Security Advisor, The White House
Peter Feaver Former Senior Director for Strategic Planning, National Security Council, The White House
Richard Fontaine Former Associate Director for Near East Affairs, National Security Council, The White House
Jendayi Frazer Former Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for African Affairs; former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs
Aaron Friedberg Former Deputy National Security Advisor to the Vice President, The White House
David Gordon Former Director of Policy Planning, Department of State
Michael Green Former Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Asia, National Security Council, The White House
Brian Gunderson Former Chief of Staff, Department of State
Paul Haenle Former Director for China and Taiwan, National Security Council, The White House
Michael Hayden Former Director, Central Intelligence Agency; former Director, National Security Agency
Carla A. Hills Former U.S. Trade Representative
John Hillen Former Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs
William Inboden Former Senior Director for Strategic Planning, National Security Council, The White House
Reuben Jeffery III Former Under Secretary of State for Economic Energy and Agricultural Affairs; former Special Assistant to the President for International Economic Affairs, National Security Council, The White House James Jeffrey Former Deputy National Security Advisor, The White House
Ted Kassinger Former Deputy Secretary of Commerce
David Kramer Former Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
James Langdon Former Chairman, President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board, The White House
Peter Lichtenbaum Former Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Administration
Mary Beth Long Former Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs
Clay Lowery Former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs; former Director for International Finance, National Security Council, The White House
Robert McCallum Former Associate Attorney General; former Ambassador to Australia
Richard Miles Former Director for North America, National Security Council, The White House
Andrew Natsios Former Administrator, U.S. Agency for International Development
John Negroponte Former Director of National Intelligence; former Deputy Secretary of State; former Deputy National Security Advisor
Meghan O’Sullivan Former Deputy National Security Advisor for Iraq and Afghanistan
Dan Price Former Deputy National Security Advisor
Tom Ridge Former Secretary of Homeland Security; former Assistant to the President for Homeland Security, The White House; former Governor of Pennsylvania
Nicholas Rostow Former Legal Adviser to the National Security Council, The White House
Kori Schake Former Director for Defense Strategy, National Security Council, The White House
Kristen Silverberg Former Assistant Secretary of State for International Organizations
Stephen Slick Former Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Intelligence Programs, National Security Council, The White House
Shirin R. Tahir-Kheli Former Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Democracy, Human Rights and International Operations, National Security Council, The White House; former Ambassador and Senior Advisor for Women’s Empowerment, Department of State
William H. Taft IV Former Deputy Secretary of Defense; former Ambassador to NATO
Larry D. Thompson Former Deputy Attorney General
William Tobey Former Deputy Administrator, National Nuclear Security Administration, Department of Energy; former Director for Counter Proliferation Strategy, National Security Council, The White House
John Veroneau Former Deputy U.S. Trade Representative
Kenneth Wainstein Former Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, The White House; former Assistant Attorney General for National Security, Department of Justice
Matthew Waxman Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense; former Director for Contingency Planning and International Justice, National Security Council, The White House
Dov Zakheim Former Under Secretary of Defense
Roger Zakheim Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense
Philip Zelikow Former Counselor of the Department of State
Robert Zoellick Former U.S. Trade Representative; former Deputy Secretary of State

August 2016

Two words only - Oh Gawd!



A quick whip around Australian government, mainstream and social media to amuse, bemuse, appal or anger.

TONY ABBOTT ON THE PRIVATE FUNDING TEAT…..




WEIRD MANBABIES BLAMING WOMEN…

Junkee, 1 November 2016:

A pair of Brisbane entrepreneurs have announced an “innovative way to address male related social issues” through the establishment of Australia’s first co-working space exclusive to men. Because if there’s one thing the startup sector needs it’s a blanket ban on women.

Nomadic Thinkers has the backing of six investors and will operate through a “hybridised co-working model with a gym space.” Membership of the space and the gym is open only to men. The founders have acknowledged that the creation of a gender-restricted co-working space “is bound to ruffle some feathers.”

A number of networking events run specifically for women have while in Australia’s notoriously male dominated startup scene and this year the first woman only co-working space was established in Perth. This latest offering is the first time a co-working space has been established to cater specifically to men. The lack of investment in male only working spaces could be down to the fact that currently three in four startups in Australia are founded by men.

The Nomadic Thinkers founders are currently in lease negotiations and the plan is to open up the space in January next year. Initially it will feature just a co-working space, cafe and a gym but “down the road we’re hoping to get a barber and a physio,” Monaghan says.

The startup offers a number of membership packages including “The Bear Grylls” and the “The Musk Have”, named after billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk.

Monaghan told Junkee that there were “a couple of things that got us to this point.”

“We’d been working in coffee shops and at home and it wasn’t that conducive to working,” Monaghan said. “We both had a mate who ended up in a violent situation with his wife. He pushed his wife over.”

According to Monaghan, domestic violence is an issue that “stems from depression in many cases”.

“Depression and suicide result from a lack of social support and community. Having a space where they [men] can be men is more of a preventative measure,” Monaghan said. “Healthy, happy men don’t hit their wives.”

Professor Marian Baird, the Director of the University of Sydney’s Women and Work Research Group told Junkee that Nomadic Thinkers could be the first workplace overtly designed to be exclusive to men. “I’ve never heard of a workplace being designed deliberately to be male only in a physical sense,” Professor Baird said.

Professor Baird wasn’t convinced by Monaghan’s justification for the exclusive nature of the space. “I don’t think there’s any excuse for domestic violence and I think that is a bit of a cop-out,” she said…..


Written by Matt Paul, he is the Director and Startup Architect at Nomadic Thinkers a hybrid gym and co-working space in Brisbane. We aim to launch men in business and in life. Opening Soon.

The pendulum is shifting in the west. And it is not just push back against the insanity of Cultural Marxists and globalists but in the individual lives of its citizens. While travelling and taking a break from the west is a great idea. Do you really want to let the civilisation your ancestors built decay away? With the BRITEXIT, Trump and rise of the alternative media there is a clear opportunity for revolutionary change. But change requires small steps and individual choices to be enduring. So what can you do?

REJECT TOXIC WOMEN & FIND A QUALITY ONE

A man needs his own house in order before he can influence others. While MGTOW community advocate checking out on marriage and women the reality is that will lead to quality men not reproducing and not raising the next generation. Simply put think of it as a numbers game. If you have kids and you are raising them well. This have a multiplier effect. Your ideas and worldview can be bestowed upon them meaning your vote at elections increases, your wealth production increases and your general well-being can increase. That being said the risk of finding a quality mate is high. With increasing divorce rates and laws such as no-fault divorce and Disney's absolute destruction of what Love and real relationships are with an obsession with infatuation. But they are out there and even in the West. Another way of looking at this is taking a proactive role in leadership in your relationship setting ground rules at the beginning is vital. But how do you get to that point? If you are well versed with ROK and other manosphere blogs the best way you can do this is by increasing your sexual marketplace value SMV, do this via increasing your traits as a provider and protector and increase your desirability making it easier to find a quality woman. Hit the gym…..

ABBOTT SETS OUT FOR THE LODGE ONCE MORE……

News.com.au, 1 November 2016:

Mr Abbott hadn’t dispatched her on a deliberate mission to publicly argue for a job. She was not acting as his surrogate, just as a writer looking for a topic.

But he had approved the use of the contents of a recent conversation in Ms McGregor’s Daily Telegraph column today.

“Abbott believes that only Turnbull can restore their relationship. He is the leader,” she wrote.

“He alone can ensure that Abbott is accorded the status and workload, which befits a former Prime Minister.

“Being pragmatic, Abbott actually believes that the solidarity imposed upon him by cabinet is the best insurance against his being deemed a wrecker.”

In short, he will stop being a nuisance if he gets a bigger desk……

5 MONTHS IN AND SINGING THE CYBER CSAR BLUES……


NO, IT REALLY WAS MELBOURNE CUP DAY THAT TUESDAY,  NOT APRIL FOOL’S…….

The Sydney Morning Herald, 1 November 2016:

The federal government's hopes of passing contested legislation in the Senate have been thrown into chaos following explosive revelations that its most friendly crossbench senator, Family First's Bob Day, may not have been legally elected.

The news could lead to a recount of all South Australian Senate votes from the July 2 election and that in turn could result in the election of another crossbench senator or indeed, one from the opposition - potentially changing the composition.

The bombshell news was delivered on Tuesday afternoon, hours after the embattled senator actually resigned in the wake of the collapse of his housing construction firm.

In a dramatic late-afternoon development, Attorney-General George Brandis released a statement advising that Special Minister of State, Scott Ryan, wrote to Senator Parry last Friday with "certain information concerning the position of Senator Bob Day".

Senator Brandis said the information related to a "potential indirect pecuniary interest" in a contract with the Commonwealth.

Normal practice would see Family First select a replacement candidate, who would be ticked off by South Australia's Parliament before taking their seat in Canberra by the end of the year, or early next year. 

However in an email sent to senators on Tuesday afternoon, Senate president Stephen Parry said he was "considering information which raises difficult constitutional questions relating to the composition of the Senate and I am seeking further advice".

Senator Brandis said the government would refer the matter to the High Court. 

200,000 LAWYERS SPEAKING OUT………

Australian Lawyers Alliance, 26 October 2016:

The Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA) has today called for the immediate resignation of Federal Attorney-General George Brandis, in light of this week's resignation of Solicitor-General Justin Gleeson SC.

ALA national president Tony Kenyon said the Attorney-General's actions in recent months were an unacceptable and gross infringement on the independence of the Solicitor-General, with the Attorney-General no longer able to hold the confidence of the profession.

"Justin Gleeson SC is a distinguished lawyer, with an unblemished reputation for integrity. The attempt to interfere with his independence, and his resignation, are both unprecedented in the 100 year history of Australia's Solicitor-General," Mr Kenyon said.

"There is a compelling public interest in having the Solicitor-General as an independent statutory counsel to government.  A core purpose of the position is to provide frank and fearless advice to government.  Senator Brandis' actions flagrantly ignore this, and bring discredit on his position as Attorney-General.”

"His actions, in requiring the Governor-General, the Prime Minister, other Ministers and Departmental heads to seek his permission before obtaining the Solicitor-General's opinion is a particularly gross infringement on the independence of the Solicitor-General," Mr Kenyon said.

"This action follows a similar incident in Queensland under the Newman Government, who similarly forced the resignation of its Solicitor-General, Walter Sofronoff QC.”
"It is of deep concern to the profession that some Attorney-Generals appear to have no regard for important and fundamental safeguards on executive power, such as an independent Solicitor-General," Mr Kenyon said.

Mr Kenyon said that the ALA had joined many across the broader legal profession in expressing dismay this week at the actions of Senator Brandis with respect to the office of the Solicitor-General……

“IT’S NOT ARAB!”SHE CRIES……

SBS News, 28 July 2016:

In 2007 the One Nation leader took part in a DNA test organised by Queensland's Sunday Mail in which a mouth swab of her genetic material found that her "genetic makeup is drawn from a rich multicultural background, with 9 per cent originating in the Middle East, 32 per cent from Italy, Greece or Turkey and 59 per cent from northern Europe."

It's a fact that has given her detractors plenty of glee to re-report over the years - especially when she pronounces her anti- mosque and halal-certification policies that seem to predominantly target Muslims and migrants of Middle Eastern origin.
 
At the time, Hanson remarked that "All I can think of is that probably down the track it eventuated from some war."

"But I'm not going to knock it. It has made me who I am."
She seems to have changed her tune since then though. Watch the video above to see her reaction when she and the other participants of Pauline Hanson: Please Explain! are asked about their origins and where they are from. 

According to the Sunday Mail; Middle Eastern is defined for the test as modern-day Saudi Arabia, Iraq, parts of Iran, Syria and Jordan and the Arab countries of North Africa.

GOING ROGUE……

The Guardian, 2 November 2016:

Australia’s immigration department has been “freezing” the release of documents about asylum seekers at in its offshore detention centre on Nauru, according to a internal email, suggesting it has been deliberately breaching freedom of information laws.

In an email sent by accident to Guardian Australia, an official at the Department of Immigration and Border Protection, says there are “risks” to the apparent policy and asks for it to reconsidered.

The Greens’ immigration spokesman, Nick McKim said the emails showed the department had “gone rogue”.

The shadow immigration minister, Shayne Neumann, said it showed the immigration minister, Peter Dutton, was mismanaging his department.

The department said the email was “a misunderstanding”.


We note that our Nauru­-related FOI cases (ie summary incident reports, health data set and several others) continue to be on­ hold pending confirmation from you about when we can proceed to finalise them.
Are you able to please give us an update/indication of when you consider we will be able to proceed?
There are some risks associated with not proceeding these FOI requests.
Rather than freezing the processing of these cases for several more weeks or months, we might be better off releasing the documents sooner, with the Nauru information fully exempted under grounds of international relations. This is something we’d want to discuss with Susan [Mathew] given the concerns previously expressed about such an approach.

Under Australia’s freedom of information laws, strict timeframes are set out for processing requests for information, and there is evidence that the department has exceeded the timeframe for processing a number of requests made by Guardian Australia.

GORGEOUS GEORGE PLAYS SKITTLES……

SENATOR THE HON GEORGE BRANDIS QC
ATTORNEY-GENERAL
LEADER OF THE GOVERNMENT IN THE SENATE
MEDIA RELEASE

SENATOR ROD CULLETON

Last Saturday, I wrote to the President of the Senate, the Hon Stephen Parry, to draw to his attention an Opinion which I had received from the Solicitor-General concerning the election of Senator Rod Culleton as a Senator for Western Australia. I received the Opinion late on Friday, 28 October 2016. I also provided a copy of the Opinion to Senator Culleton.

The opinion was sought by me on 13 October 2016 in view of issues raised in proceedings commenced in the High Court against Senator Culleton by Mr Bruce Bell.

It appears that the proceedings brought by Mr Bell are based on an allegation that, at the time of the last election, Senator Culleton had been convicted of an offence punishable by a sentence of imprisonment for one year or longer, and was therefore “incapable of being chosen” as a Senator under section 44(ii) of the Constitution.

The President of the Senate has written to me today to advise that he proposes to bring the matter to the attention of the Senate when it sits on 7 November 2016. At that time, the Government will initiate a referral of the matter to the High Court pursuant to section 376 of the Commonwealth Electoral Act.

2 November 2016

EXCEEDING HIS PARLIAMENTARY BRIEF……

ABC News, 1 March 2016:

Liberal senator Cory Bernardi says he has been warned against "freelancing" during his three-month secondment at the United Nations.

Senator Bernardi has told the ABC he put himself forward for the short-term posting and won the ballot run by his fellow Liberal senators.

"I'm looking forward to engaging with the UN committee system, to see from a much closer perspective how it works and maybe how it can be improved," he said.
Senator Bernardi will be joined by Labor senator Lisa Singh on the annual delegation to New York from September.

They will act as parliamentary observers to the UN General Assembly.

The senators will be expected to help Australia's Ambassador at the "pointy end" of the year by attending committee meetings and speaking engagements.

Senator Bernardi said he was aware he would need to stay on script, telling the ABC: "I've already been told there's no freelancing at the UN."

SBS News, 3 November 2016:

Senator Bernardi has openly backed the Republican candidate - the only person he follows on Twitter - while criticising the Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.
Although he insists he's not a cheerleader for Trump, he told Sky News on Thursday the Republican has a "better chance to fix what's wrong with America".
It follows similar comments on social media and other outlets in recent days.

It's Halloween and sometimes the kids nail it! @realDonaldTrump




WHEN YOU'RE THE WRONG COLOUR ON A MAP......

Is Australia's signature colour really beige and does it suit us?

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/technology/big-changes-looming-across-the-world-but-australians-could-be-left-behind/news-story/88297afa677cde2fe9fe52746ad2efc5

QUEENSLAND LABOR SAYS BUGGER THE GREAT BARRIER REEF…….

The Guardian, 2 November 2016:

Powers granted by the Queensland government for Adani’s proposed Carmichael mine are unprecedented for a private commercial development, new findings reveal.
Legal analysis by the Environmental Defenders Office in Queensland provided exclusively to Guardian Australia ahead of its public release on Thursday shows that the broad powers have previously applied only to essential endeavours.

Anthony Lynham, the state minister for natural resources and mines, declared the Carmichael mine and its associated infrastructure a “prescribed project” and “critical infrastructure” on 7 October.

There has been only a handful of critical infrastructure declared since laws enabling it were introduced to the State Development and Public Works Organisation Act in 2006. Most of the five relate to water supply.

Most notably, in 2007, the then infrastructure minister declared parts of the water grid in south-east Queensland critical infrastructure because that region was experiencing unprecedented drought.

Jo-Anne Bragg, chief executive of the Environmental Defenders Office Queensland, said the use of a declaration power “largely designed to protect Queensland from the worsening effects of drought” for the Adani Carmichael combined project was “deeply inappropriate”.

At the time of the declaration Lynham told the Sunday Mail: “This is a critical project. The government is serious about seeing it happen. We have to get jobs happening for central and northern Queensland.”

Under the law governing critical infrastructure, the coordinator general may speed up or progress assessment and, with ministerial consent, step in and take control of any legal decision still required for the project to proceed.

At that point opportunities for the community to interrogate the impacts of the project on groundwater may be limited.

The Queensland courts are also stripped of their usual statutory powers to review and determine the lawfulness of any decisions that might be made by the coordinator general.

Bragg said this meant the critical infrastructure declaration “could be used to potentially short-circuit legal protection for vital groundwater resources”.

“We believe the provision has been wrongly used in its application to the Adani project, and believe this could open the floodgates to all manner of major private developments demanding to be fast-tracked through the assessment process,” she said.

She recommended that the state government revoke both declarations to assure Queenslanders that proper procedure would be followed, and for the State Development Act to be amended to constrain the broad powers of the coordinator general in future.

The Environmental Defenders Office’s analysis found that the Adani coal project was assessed faster than the average time taken for major coordinated projects in Queensland.

KALISCH CHAOS CONTINUES…..

The Sydney Morning Herald, 4 November 2016:

David Kalisch Photo: Andrew Meares

The jobs of more than 150 Australian Bureau of Statistics public servants are to be axed as the cash-strapped bureau struggles to balance its shrinking budget.

Workers at the bureau, which finished the past financial year more than $36 million in the red, were told on Friday morning that management will be looking to get up to 150 employees to accept voluntary redundancies in a process that is to begin immediately.

The job cuts are the latest in a string of bad news stories for the Bureau which is still dealing with the fall-out from August's dramatic Census debacle and ongoing financial strife.

The axe is falling just weeks after Chief Statistician David Kalisch said data collection on foreign ownership of agricultural businesses, industrial disputes, motor vehicle sales, livestock slaughter, and crime offenders and victims, could all stop because of the financial pressures the bureau faced.

The Bureau said the voluntary redundancies are "part of a planned approach to transform its workforce for the future" and confirmed "at least 100 packages" would be offered.

"The voluntary redundancies are necessary as we transition from higher staffing levels required to implement the 2016 Census," a statement said.

AUSTRALIA GOING NUCLEAR?.......

SBS News, 3 November 2016:

Former prime minister Tony Abbott has told a charity dinner in Papua New Guinea that he regrets not buying nuclear submarines for Australia.
"I do regret, though, that my own government did not give more consideration to off-the-shelf nuclear-propelled options - as this might have provided a more capable submarine more quickly," Mr Abbott told an Anglicare dinner in Port Moresby.
"In an uncertain world, where countries look to Australia for help, it would have been good to have these new subs much sooner than the middle of the 2030s."

Australia still losing full-time employment positions and the Turnbull Government still denying reality of the job market




20 October 2016

Shift to part-time employment continues

Monthly trend employment in Australia increased slightly in September 2016, according to figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) today.

In September 2016, trend employment increased by 3,900 persons to 11,959,500 persons - a monthly growth rate of 0.03 per cent. This is down from the monthly employment growth peak of 0.28 per cent in September 2015. Trend part-time employment growth continued, with an increase of 11,800 persons, while full-time employment decreased by 7,900 persons.

”The latest Labour Force release shows further increases in part-time employment. There are now 130,000 more persons working part-time than in December 2015, while the number working full-time has decreased by 54,100 persons," said the Program Manager of ABS' Labour and Income Branch, Jacqui Jones.

The trend monthly hours worked increased by 2.2 million hours (0.1 per cent), though it is still below the high in December 2015.

The trend unemployment rate decreased slightly (by less than 0.1 percentage points) to 5.6 per cent, and the participation rate decreased 0.1 percentage points but remained steady at 64.7 per cent in rounded terms.

Trend series smooth the more volatile seasonally adjusted estimates and provide the best measure of the underlying behaviour of the labour market.

The seasonally adjusted number of persons employed decreased by 9,800 in September 2016. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for September 2016 decreased by 0.1 percentage points to 5.6 per cent, and the seasonally adjusted labour force participation rate decreased by 0.2 percentage points to 64.5 per cent.

More details are in the September 2016 issue of Labour Force, Australia (cat. no. 6202.0). In addition, further information, including regional labour market information, can be found in the upcoming September 2016 issue of Labour Force, Australia, Detailed - Electronic Delivery(cat. no. 6291.0.55.001), due for release on 27 October 2016. 

In August 2016 there were an est. total of 179,000 full-time and part-time job vacancies in Australia, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. By September 2016 this figure had dropped to est. 161,1000 job vacancies, according to the Australian Government Dept. of Employment.

In September 2016 there were est. 690,900 unemployed people in Australia. An est. 20 per cent of these people were under 25 years of age.

An est. 480,400 unemployed people were looking for full-time work (est. 39 per cent of this number were females) and on average they each spent 47.1 months doing so.

An additional est. 209,900 unemployed people were looking for part-time work and, as est. 59 per cent of this number were females one could suspect that many were only seeking part-time rather than full-time work because of competing child raising/carer obligations.

Despite these figures indicating that a high number of unemployed people are competing for jobs in a shrinking pool of employment opportunities, the Turnbull Government through the Minister for Social Services and Liberal MP for Pearce Christian “inequality is a measure of difference not a measure of comparative wellbeing”  Porter insists on demonising those applying for unemployment benefits while they search for work, as well as those women who seek to lawfully access government paid parental leave payments in additional to their employer schemes so that they may return to work at an appropriate time and, single parents receiving parenting payments.

The Turnbull Government’s new policy approach based on the June 2016 Baseline Valuation Report allegedly providing a baseline analysis of lifetime welfare costs and highlighting areas of interest is not worth the paper it was printed on – as has been pointed out elsewhere.

And the example of the stay-at-home single parent of four earning more than a similar parent working full-time is nothing but a pile of political manure, as was shown it this report in The Sydney Morning Herald on 29 October 2016:

The claim, published in The Australian on Friday and backed up by Social Services Minister Christian Porter, is that single parents with four children can get payments totalling $52,523 per year if they don't work but only $49,831 after tax if they work and receive the median full-time wage…..

Former Department of Social Security analyst David Plunkett said the calculation excluded $30,916 in family tax benefits that the parent working full-time would also receive, meaning that when "apples are compared with apples", the parent would receive $80,747 if working and $52,523 per year if not working.


Ben Stiller writing in The Sydney Morning Herald on 26 September 2016 gave a telling response to this blinkered federal government’s approach to jobs ‘n’ growth:

I've now spent most of my life working with people the minister has declared there is a "moral imperative" to get off welfare, many of them living lives impacted by profound disadvantages to participation in employment. All of them people who, like me, just want an opportunity to make their life better.

Unlike me, though, they are often trying to manage multiple disadvantages associated with physical health, mental health, family breakdown, lack of education, high local unemployment rates, discrimination and stigmas.

We can choose to apply moral judgment to people so easily attributed to a budget line and described as having a "lifetime of welfare dependence". After all, almost everyone reading this is a success. We made a go of things, overcame our challenges. We pay our taxes. These people are scientifically calculated to spend their lives without bothering to get a job.

Except there aren't any new low-skilled jobs for a 19-year-old single mother with a year 10 education that structure flexible working arrangements around caring responsibilities, childcare pick-ups, court appearances to renew AVOs and night-time community centre literacy/numeracy classes. Even the "welfare dependant" strive to help their children with homework.

As for the old unskilled jobs, they've all been undermined, underpaid and offshored. The new skills needed to get a job cost tens of thousands of dollars and if you happen to pick a dodgy private provider then all that debt has gone into a worthless piece of paper.

When there are no jobs, when there are no opportunities and there is no hope for improvement we have created poverty. As St Vincent de Paul Society CEO Dr John Falzon said, "Poverty is not a personal choice." In poverty there are no choices. People do what they need to do in the world in which they live in order to survive.

I've seen people line up like cattle for hours in the rain to receive a basket of tinned food or a $20 supermarket voucher (Don't worry, Minister, they were always marked "No tobacco. No alcohol"). I've seen people pretend to be someone else to try to get an extra basket because family have come from interstate on the bus and they have nothing to feed them.

Those aren't choices made by people with options and opportunities, they are attempts to survive in a system that confuses, abuses and punishes.

I would like to take this opportunity to make one thing very clear to every politician and print or television journalist who may be tempted to continue to demonise people receiving Centrelink or Dept. of Veterans’ Affairs pensions, benefits or allowances.

They are not the only people in Australia receiving in kind or cash welfare from the federal government.

By way of example*:
* Every person or business receiving a tax concession or tax refund is receiving government welfare. 
* Everyone taking advantage of low taxing components in their superannuation arrangements is receiving government welfare. 
* Every individual who received a primary and high school education received government welfare through state/federal subsidies to schools and/or tax concession to peak religious organisations running them. 
* Every student who took advantage of deferred fee payment options during their university education years received government welfare. 
* Everyone turning up at A&E at a public hospital is receiving government welfare.
* Every parent who took their children to be immunized under the national immunization scheme received government welfare.
* Everyone with or without a a concession card who reached the annual PBS Safety Net threshold and was subsequently supplied with reduced cost/free medication received government welfare.
* Every person receiving non-income tested assistance from any government health or social program is receiving government welfare.

In other words, every single person in Australia receives government welfare – sometimes for years!

* This is not an exhaustive list of examples

Sunday 6 November 2016

Clarence Valley libraries want to become eSmart


Clarence Valley Council media release, 31 October 2016:
How smart is your internet usage?

CLARENCE Valley libraries are working through a project to develop their branches as eSmart libraries and need your help.

“eSmart Libraries” is a cybersafety system designed to equip libraries and connect library users with the skills they need for smart, safe and responsible use of technology.

During November libraries are asking users to complete a simple questionnaire that asks about internet usage.

The questionnaire will gather information about the levels of digital literacy and cybersafety awareness of users of the Clarence Regional Library.

Regional librarian, Kathryn Breward, said the aim was to identify any digital literacy and cybersafety needs for the community, and provide ways to address them for library users.

“This will ensure all users of technology in our libraries are comfortable they are in a safe and supported environment in a physical sense and in their usage of the internet,” she said.

This is a voluntary and anonymous survey, and all data will be kept confidential.

The survey will be available at all libraries in print form, as well as online at www.crl.nsw.gov.au.

For more information on the eSmart project, visit the eSmart website at www.esmart.org.au.

Clarence Valley Region libraries are in Bellingen, Dorrigo, Grafton, Iluka, Maclean, Urunga & Yamba plus there is a Mobile Library service.